Justice, Mercy, and Reconciliation

In a durable democracy, elections are the ultimate means of resolving conflicts lawfully and peacefully. So, when a candidate refuses to abide by the results of a presidential election, when a third of the electorate believes that the election was fraudulent, and when a faction assaults the US Capitol to prevent certifying the election, these stand as warning signs that a body politic's long-standing aches and pains have progressed to a dangerous illness. Clearer than ever is what journalists and social scientists have reported for several decades: The United States is divided -- woefully and now dangerously divided.